Saturday, May 31, 2008

I'm up early getting ready to head out for Steamboat! I'm so excited for a fun weekend! :) Picking up muffins from Wooglin's on the way...yummers!

Last night we went and saw Sex in the City ...and it was so amazing...I absolutely love, loved it! :) The writers did a great job keeping the characters themselves...showing a little more of who each woman was...and allowed us to ride a very fun emotional roller coaster! Many laughs too!

Samantha: "Good job hunny...you made a little joke!"

Samantha: "I'm talking Dickwad!!"

Charlotte: "Carrie, I'm just so afraid something bad is going to happen to me."

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Double ugg. Today's run was a toughie. Made me feel not ready for this weekend's race in Steamboat, but oh well...I can only put out my best effort! :) And afterall...having fun with the friends I'm with and making memories is way more important to me than whether I think I really "did well".

Meg- the vid I took of you dancing on Sunday night is absolutely fabulous...love it, love you! :) Note to all...everyone must go to Meg's blog and catch this opportunity to see Meg's moves...I have a link to it on my page...'Not So Much of A Mess Meg'.

Two more days of work and then off to Steamboat for a fun, adventurous weekend...I'm so excited! :)

Monday, May 26, 2008

Today was great...had a relaxing morning...got to sleep in! Then had a great time vedging and visiting at mom and ken's bbq:). I love spending time with people, not always "doing"...but just enjoying the company and time spent. My mom made me the 20 minute fudge marshmallow cake from heaven...the mallow was oozing through the cracks...it had taken a life of it's own. Ooh...was it tasty! Thanks mother! Hugs to all.

Oh yeah...the 42nd Annual Holiday John Wayne Memorial Beer Pong Tournament was really fun. Can't wait for the 43rd. Meg- your dance moves amaze me. We are learning Thriller like pronto! Dana- we were oh so close to winning that game...i think Joe and Joey cheated somehow. Booo. Maybe their bows were over the line?

Saturday, May 24, 2008

I just heard a load of huge fireworks outside...hum...wonder what the occasion is?

I have 2 days off in a row and I am super excited! After a long day today I am looking forward to a low key day of relaxing, followed by a family bbq and friend's wedding! :)

I miss my Romi. She is in Cali visiting the fam. Home is not the same without her...without the Gooodmoorrrnings...coffee on the porch...laughing at girls on tv with Bobby's World hairstyles. I love and miss you Romester!

I had a wicked experience with the vertigo on thursday night. It was not good. Period. Ear plugged...8 barfos later...phoned mom to come to the rescue. Staci kept me distracted on the phone until she arrived with drugs to help the spinning stop. Again, no good at all. Woke up the next morning and my ears had unplugged enough for the dizzies to stop, thank goodness! This is the third time this has happened to me...but it had never been this bad. I need to remember that when i'm getting over a cold that my ears will in fact plug and I need to be careful! Overall, lesson learned! Thanks Mom for coming to the rescue ...staying up late...making me feel better... and caring for me. Thank you Staci for talking me through something I hate the most (throwing up)...trying to solve my pluggage...and simply being there for me:).

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

This sickness is hopefully leaving me soon...i've had about enough. At home you will find our beige trash can, filled with crumpled kleenex, following me where ever I go. I couldn't taste, smell, or hear anything today...no fun I say! 2 weeks before the Steamboat 1/2...perfect timing!

Maili and I have been enjoying coffee on the porch the last few mornings...what a joy! It's been beautiful...but, relaxing in this way makes us not want to get ready and go to work. "Work is SOOOOOOOO overrated" is our saying every morning. Today we were cracking up saying "Kevin, you're such a disease!" ...you all remember...At the beginning of Home Alone when Buz eats all the cheese pizza...Kevin spills the milk and the whole family glares at him. hahahah...we were dying!

Off to take my Nyquil and Simply Sleep pills...no risk in getting enough sleep when i feel like crapola!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

After a great GNO at Dana's last night, Maili and I enjoyed a bit of sleeping in! After a glorious cup of coffee on the porch, while admiring the stillness of Sunday morning glory, Romi and I were off to meet Meg. We had to park way the heck down at the bottom of the hill...past the cog, iron springs chateau, ....yes, all the way down there. It was hot and crowded...oh and my throat was burning from the get-go. Trouble from the start, but we continued on! Hot and sweaty, dehydrated, and a little annoyed at all the people...we finally made it to the top! :)A couple swigs, sport beans and a breather later...we were off to the bottom. So...about 1/2 way down Barr Trail, my mind/focus took a little cat nap and before I knew it, I was sliding down the trail on my side with my right arm extended above my head. Perfect. Lying there on the trail, my first thoughts were...is my new tank top ripped and did I break my ipod shuffle. Wait, where is my ipod clip? Oh, there it is...5 feet down the trail. Oh look, i'm bleeding...i wonder where from? This guy was standing right next to where I fell with his back turned to me admiring the scenery, until i ruined it and made a huge commotion. I looked up from my lying down position and he turned to me and said, "wow, that was rough, are you ok?". I had just passed this couple on the trail and didn't want them to think "that girl's going to fall, she's going to fast...oh look, she did fall"...so, i picked up my clip, took the still-lodged ear buds out of my ears and continued jogging down the trail. Seriously...i just started laughing outloud at myself. I couldn't believe it...entering my 3rd Summer doing the incline and running down Barr...and I finally bit the dust. My voice is further gone than this morning...my neck is definitely sunburned...and my wounds for-shiz stung in the shower. This is why the incline ate me for lunch. Thank you Meg and Maili for sticking it to the beast with me today! :) I love you guys!:)

Happy Birthday Staci! I just love you to pieces and thank you for the time...the laughs...the understanding.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

It's gloomy outside and I am enjoying some coffee as I gaze at the dark green mountains close by.

Maddy spent the night last night with me over here in Manitou and we watched 27 Dresses. It was a cute movie...My favorite part was "Benny and the Jets". They got drunk and sang it on top of the bar...it was hilarious. I totally enjoy having Madster over here! We were talking about how we feel we are staying in a tree house...so fun!

Yesterday I did a recovery run in Manitou and man, my legs were super fatigued and pissed off still from yesterday's long run. I started off down a steep hill and thought "ok, my legs don't actually feel that bad...", but then I turned onto flat pavement towards downtown manitou springs and I suddenly felt all of the tightness in my legs...they felt like huge tree stumps, not wanting to move. I just kept in mind that it would help them recover and will teach them to perform even though they're broken down. Anyways, the weather was beautiful and it was a great way to start the day.

I am feeling bad because I haven't seen my Camster in forever!! I am looking forward to stopping by today to see her! Oh and Jeff too...sorry buddy, didn't mean to leave you out there.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

1. Had a great run with Staci this am...even though I was originally a little nervous about the long time on feet & legs! We parked one car up in Monument and one car down at the Woodman/I25 exit. We started up in Monument...a little chilly as we were both in shorts (Staci probably colder than I...the "Hot Box"). But after a good 20 min or so, we (or I) warmed up and were on our way. About an hour in I had some Cliff Shot Blocks (Margarita flavor-yum!) to help the the fatigue starting to set in. We didn't calculate our time/distance exactly right on...so I had to go an additional 12 min past the car, then 12 min back to the parked car at woodman. That last 10 min on the hard pavement was tough stuff! Poor Staci had to deal with breathing/cough issues the whole way. I'm noticing now that I am super sun-burned on my shoulders, great. It was so gorgeous out and it was fun seeing all the families out and about on the trail enjoying the day. The rest of the day I felt pretty good...however my calves felt and still do feel, like they are about to cramp at any moment. :)

Place: Monument/Santa Fe Trail

Run: Long run

Distance: about 13.2 miles

Time:2hr 15min

2. Rushed home after the run to shower and get ready for mother's day brunch. Mom, Jeanne, Gma, Maddy, Erinn and I all met at the Schmid household for yummy food and relaxing time together. Maddy went above and beyond with the food...she will be running a food-related business someday, I know this forsure! The pictures are evidence to this! Mini sandwiches, gooey-bars, pecan bars, mini-quiche, mimosas, scones, hot tea...we had it all! The moms opened cards and presents...and we all laughed whenever anyone got teary...trying to hold it off! :) I was 2/3 in the tear department with my cards...Mother Julie and Auntie Jeanne :). Grandma brought old photo albums from when Jeanne and mom were little...it was so fun looking at them together...we had lots more laughs. I feel so blessed to have such loving, strong, compassionate women in my life.

3. I am house-sitting for the owner of the store this week and taking care of his sweet dog Tassie (a 10yr old long haired doxin). Jeff lives way on top of a hill in Manitou and has amazing views of all of colo springs and manitou/pikes peak!! There are decks all around the house and i'm excited to have my coffee sitting on the hanging chair swing on the back porch. See pics below. I am having sadness though, missing my Romi...who I love! :) She will have to yell at Bella and Orsa as they bring in sticks on their tails without me.

4. There is The Office marathon on tv right now and I am in hog heaven! The episode I just watched was the one where Michael puts on a 5k race to cure Rabies. It is hilarious! Andy has a problem with nipple chafing so he cuts off the bottom of dixie cups and tapes them over his nipples for the run. Oh yeah, and Michael has to carbo-load with Fetachini Alfredo ( i know i didn't spell that right)...right before it starts...and he doesn't allow himself to have water. So funny! I was trying to find a video...but no luck.

Today was so great...got to do lots of what I like to do...and most of all, be with people are close to my heart.

Busy day at the store with people in and out all day...certainly see it all that's for sure. And that's all i'm going to say!

Saw the amazing house that belongs to the owner of the store.... I'm going to house sit & take care of his sweet long-haired doxin for a week. It sits on top of and overlooks all of manitou springs and the garden of the gods...decks all around the entire house...so pretty!

The Herizon's night was fun...not a huge turnout, but the people that came were so much fun! We enjoyed yummy wine and La Casita...i snarffed down 2 fajitas in about 2.5sec. Oh and we had cookies too. Thanks Dana and Meg for coming...you guys are great! :)

Then went to Meg and Joey's ....had loads of laughter there. Maili with her leg dance, once she saw that I brought left-over cookies + tanning bed incident...Dana with her scrunched up nose and Meg with her Napoleon Dynamite/Center Stage dancing. :) "Are those brownies over there on the table?...oh wait, no, those are hamburgers...i thought you guys were holding out on me!"- Me.

Overall... I was thinking this day was going to be long and tough to get through. But in the end it turned out just fine...and provided much more joy than anticipated. That's absolutely all I can ask for in the end.

It's super late.

I have a 2hr 15min run tomorrow morning at 7:45am.

Why am I blogging instead of in bed?

My feet hurt and i'm tired.

Crap i forgot to get orange juice for the mimosas for mother's day brunch tomorrow.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Even though today is friday...it's not friday for me...booo. I have a long day at work tomorrow! Oh well...it hopefully will fly by, and should be fun because we are having a Herizons event at the store with fun and yummy food.

Sunday, for Mother's Day, Mom, Auntie Jeanne, Gma, Maddy, Erinn and I are getting together for our own homemade brunch! I am bringing Mimosas...which I will be drinking a lot of I believe. :) More on this later:).

Today's run was a toughie! ...for many reasons. First of all it's Friday and after a full week of work, any sort of effort in the brain or bodily functioning category will almost always be a waste of time! Staci and I somehow pushed out a 52 min foundation run with some hills on the Mesa (Rd.) overlook (near the garden of the gods). It sure was pretty out, but our legs and minds sure weren't havin it! :) We got through it though! Tomorrow is a slow 40 min recovery run (followed by a yummy Wooglins muffin!)...then, Sunday am...have a 2hr 15min duzie!

Ok...off to bed...need as much rest as possible to help me get through tomorrow! :)

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

So run today's run was a rough one...It was a speed workout so i decided to drive to the Sand Creek High School track to get some flat action since i am surrounded by some gnarly hills near the house. But, once i walked up to the track, there was a sign saying it was a private facility and not open to the public...boo. So i just did hilly neighborhood action...15min warm-up...3 minutes hard..3recover...2/2...1/1...2 times through that set...then 15 min cool down. I was sprinting, then recovering on an uphill...tough stuff maynard. And, plus it was freaking hot and i had major redface! :)

Run: Speed/Fartleks

Place: Near the house

Time: 54 min

Distance: not sure :(

Work was great today...because I got some free shoes! The Adidas rep came today and gave us gals the new SuperNova trail shoes...they are freaking sweet as all get out! Can't wait to try em out on a hardcore trail! :)

This Saturday we are having a Herizons event at the store. Herizons is an all-womens group that focuses on living a healthy lifestyle. Anyone/Everyone welcome to come!! We will have food and drinks...plus loads of sweet giveaways! :)

Sunday, May 4, 2008

I just went to a surprise party for my step-brother Orin and I ate my weight in crap! Two words...pizza & cake. Tastes so good goin down...followed by instant regret. As it begins to get warmer for the summer...the thought of more skin showing and less clothes looms overhead with every bite. In Maili's words...WOOF WOOF! Oh well...tomorrow's another day...another opportunity to make better food choices!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Ok...so, it's almost been an entire year since I started running. I told myself that I wasn't going to classify myself as a "runner" until a full year of consistent running had been completed. I made this decision after practically hating running my entire life...I didn't want to be overzealous about my new hobby at first and jump totally in with both feet...but that seems to be what has happened. It's so weird...for so long, the mere thought of running more than 5 minutes made me crabby and tired. But now, my mind loves (well, usually) the process of tying up the laces of my NB's...exploring someplace new (or old)...chatting with my bud or listening to my music selection for the day...and wondering where my mind is going to take me that day. Yes, it's true...some days my mind and my body's just not there and wants nothing to do with any sort of jarring motion, sweat, heaving breathing or extra blood pumping. But those days are seldom and usually come with simply a lack of sleep.

I remember back in March of last year when I started training my good friend Staci. She was a runner (done a handful of 1/2marathons at the time) and I remember one day her suggesting that I do a race with her. My response was "yeah, I might do a short one with you...like a 5k or something." It wasn't 5 months later when we were signing up for the Canyonlands Moab 1/2 Marathon to take place in March '08. How did I get here? Training for the first race was...challenging, interesting, fun, horrible, fulfilling...all at the same time. I decided that my goal for my first 1/2 (13.1 miles) was to get under 2 hours. I would have to be under a 9 min mile the entire race. Including a pee pit-stop in the first 1/2 mile of the start...I ended up finishing 1:57:23. I was really thrilled to have made it just under the 2 hr mark. Moab was an absolutely amazing first race experience...I was with a great group of friends who were so supportive of me.

Since Moab I've been back at the training in preparation for the Steamboat 1/2 marathon. This race will be June 1st and will be a little bit tougher thanks to a higher altitude and a select group of hills to conquer. I'm excited to see if I improve my time and to be running some place new! :) Training for this race has been tough...usually 5 days/wk we run. Speed work, incline, hills, recovery runs (if there is such a thing), long runs (ugh). Staci has been such a huge inspiration...motivator and great running partner for me. She has been such a great teacher and so patient with me in my attempts to truly become a runner... and for that I am so thankful.

Tomorrow we have a long run. It will be 90 min which is a shorter run of the long run category for us...however monday will be the start of a tough and long 2 weeks of training before we back off a bit before the race june 1. For our long runs, Staci and I have been going up to Monument to train at a little bit higher altitude. We love it up there and just think it's gorgeous! We've been running around Palmer Lake as well as the Greenland trail...both just make you feel as though you are in this remote part of Colorado Springs...pretty neato!

I decided to tally up the number of miles i've run since the start of 2008...and a rough estimate ends up to be 425miles. So that means I'm averaging about 26-27miles/week. If you would have asked me a year ago if I would be running more than 20 minutes at a time...I would have said...not with a smile on my face that's forsure! But, I do have a smile of my face...I really do enjoy so many aspects of it. Of course the competitive athlete rears it's head sometimes and thinks of strict goals I can set for myself. But, I don't want to lose sight of the joy I find in the simplicity of heading out for a run...not focusing on time, speed, heart rate...but focusing on enjoying the time for set aside for me.

-Romi and I think work is SOOOOOOO overrated and we talk every morning about how we just want to curl back up into bed and lock ourselves in the house and not pay our bills...ever. The other morning when i was about to get into the shower I asked Maili if she actually got up...did stuff...then got back into bed....she said yes. hahah- i was laughing. Even though i am really enjoying my job...it's hard when you feel tired and feel like you never have time to do it all.

-I can't believe today is May 2nd...I feel like it was just Christmas a couple weeks ago...what happened to the time? Freaking 4 months! What the heck!?

The Little Things That Matter Most...

Hello to all and welcome to my blog! Thanks for taking the time to read about the little things that matter most...

I'm just a Colorado girl who, on a good day, considers herself a runner, foodie, yogi, photographer in the making. For me, this blog is where I hope to spend some time to share and release what may be on my mind and in my heart. I chose the title because I truly believe that it's the little things that make the best memories...the ones you remember forever. I hope that while reading this you smile, laugh, ponder, get to know me a little better, and most of all...think about what little things matter most in your life.